(Phnom Penh): On the morning of July 31, 2025, Samdech Thibault Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, presented an important message regarding our soldiers who are currently in the custody of the Thai army and requested the Commander-in-Chief of the Malaysian Army, as the coordinator and monitor of the ceasefire, to request the Commander-in-Chief of the Thai Army to help expedite the release of our soldiers as soon as possible.
There are questions as to why the Cambodian government did not immediately release information regarding the Cambodian forces captured by the Thai army after the ceasefire? Does the government not care about their lives?
I would like to emphasize that since the fighting broke out on July 24, 2025, caring for the lives of our forces, as well as those of the Cambodian people living in the fighting zones, has been the highest priority of the Royal Government. That is why the government is working hard to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible.
In that, managing military information on the battlefield is crucial to protecting the lives and winning the war of our troops.
In the case of our captured fighters, who until now we are waiting for the Thai side to send them back to Cambodia, their lives have been the top priority of the Royal Government since the time they were captured.
In the initial stages, when there is still no clear information about their fate, information management is very important, as releasing certain information could endanger their lives or could further complicate negotiations for their release.
Therefore, between the choice of releasing information to the public and the choice of withholding information to ensure their lives, in the early stages of uncertainty, the government has no choice but to manage the information well and open negotiations to quickly reclaim them.
It is not that the government is hiding information that the public does not want to know or does not care about the lives of our forces, as some sources have alleged. I would like to confirm that our military leadership has contacted the Thai side to request the immediate release of our forces since the incident.
The Minister of National Defense, Commander of the 4th Military Region of Cambodia, has been in regular contact with the Thai side to request the immediate release of our troops. In addition, the Commander-in-Chief of the Cambodian Army has also requested the Commander-in-Chief of the Malaysian Army, as the coordinator and monitor of the ceasefire, to request the Thai Army Commander to help expedite the release as soon as possible.
